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Tag Archives: mental activity

Daydream believer: why your brain is wired to wander This post was written by cognitive neuroscientist Dr Muireann Irish of Neuroscience Research Australia. We are usually told that daydreaming is a waste of time and mental power, but the ability to daydream offers us tremendous flexibility in our daily lives. The frequency with which we daydream suggests it… Continue Reading

Your brain is fundamentally lazy. When it can, it wires thoughts, emotions, or behaviors into circuits deep below the surface where they become automated. Automated thoughts, feelings or behaviours ARE habits. And habits allow your brain to work on autopilot. During the course of a day, hundreds of habits—automated chunks of thought, emotion, or behavior—come online… Continue Reading

Health Check: four key ways to improve your brain health Anthony Hannan, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health The human brain is the most extraordinary and complex object in the known universe, a kilogram and a half of soft tissue that, at its peak, leaves computers behind with its endless capacity for problem solving,… Continue Reading

The relationships between our thoughts, our biology, the world around us, and our health and wellbeing are complex. Add in the brain (the most complex of living structures, one that enabled humans to walk on the moon, map the human genome, and compose masterpieces of literature, art, and music) and you’re faced with a couple of… Continue Reading

Of all the topics I’ve written about over the years, how to foster a growth mindset in our children is probably the one that has generated the most positive feedback. And this is the piece that has had the biggest impact on my parenting. I have the poster above tacked to the wall in our kitchen. And I often… Continue Reading

The return of the Walking Book Club Lets kick this Walking Book Club off again!! Why walk and talk? …. The human brain became the most powerful in the world under conditions where motion was a constant presence. Our fancy brains developed not while we were lounging around but while we were working out. John Medina… Continue Reading

As 2014 draws to a close I’ve crunched the numbers and come up with the the top 5 most popular blog posts I’ve written this year. To everyone who has read, commented, shared or liked – THANK-YOU!!! Here are the top 5 most-read posts for 2014 (in descending order, just to keep the suspense!!). Enjoy, and see… Continue Reading

I’m super excited to share this new art-science initiative that I’ve helped get up and running here in Sydney. One of the BEST things to come out of writing this blog has been the unexpected opportunities that have come my way to spread the word about neuroscience and brain health in fun, creative… Continue Reading

Late last year in my Meet the Neuroscientists interview series, I spoke to Charlene Levitan who studies centenarians for the Sydney Centenarian Study. Her research has revealed that only about 30% of longevity is determined by our genes. As Dr Levitan pointed out: We can’t choose our parents, but we can choose our lifestyle.… Continue Reading

I’m a neuroscientist by training. Popular culture would label me ‘logical, detail-oriented and analytical’. But when I was in high school, I considered applying to art school and pursuing career as a painter. Had I followed that path in life, would I be considered ‘creative, thoughtful and free-spirited’? No doubt you’ve heard people say that… Continue Reading